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Surrounded by idiots by Thomas Erikson book review

The word “idiot” is defined by the Merriam-Webster Dictionary as a foolish or stupid person. As far as Thomas Erikson cares, however, an idiot is simply someone who features a different behavior profile and consequently a different sort of communication than the one dubbing him one.

Of course, this is not something Erikson believed when he was young. Back then, he pigeonholed people into two groups: good and sensible people, and everyone else—the people that didn’t seem to know anything at all. When he was 25, he was supposed to interview a 60-year-old CEO by the name of Stewart, who told him that he was surrounded by idiots. The more Thomas considered this sentence, the less he understood it.

“But who are these idiots?” he eventually asked Stewart, fully aware that it could have been only him and no one else. At this point, Stewart wanted to “fetch a shotgun and shoot Thomas,” his words. But Thomas wanted to make an important point—namely, that even Stewart didn’t honestly believe that he was surrounded by idiots. He was just incapable of communicating with them properly.

We’ve already shared the reason with you: Stewart didn’t know that people have different behavior profiles, and that you can’t communicate with everyone in the same manner. This is what Erikson’s Surrounded by Idiots is all about—the world’s most commonly used method to explain the differences in human communication.

The method is named the DISA or DISC system—acronyms that represent Dominance, Inducement, Submission, and Analytic/Compliance ability. These four terms are the primary behavior types that describe how people see themselves in relation to their environment. Each of these behavior types is related to a color: red, yellow, green, and blue.

Before we get to the system itself and its applications, it might be a good idea to take a quick history tour.

A Brief History of Behavior Categorization

People have always been like this, even though the categorization of individuals according to some theoretical behavior profile might seem like a modern invention. In reality, in all cultures, there has always been a need to categorize people, and many of these categorizations can be considered precursors to the DISA system.

Erikson compares it to the two most familiar systems from the classical world—humorism. For centuries BC, Hippocrates, the father of medicine, devised a theory that each person’s temperament is the product of the balance (or imbalance) between the four humors, i.e., the four bodily fluids in the body: blood, choler (yellow bile), melancholy (black bile), and phlegm.

The system, further developed by the Roman physician Galen, is now called the humoral system and suggests four fundamental personality types:

• Sanguine (surplus of blood; happy-go-lucky optimists who spread positive vibes)

• Choleric (yellow bile; fiery and temperamental, sometimes frightening)

• Melancholic (black bile; gloomy pessimists)

• Phlegmatic (phlegm; slow and sluggish)

These four personality types correspond to those in the DISA system: sanguine = yellow, choleric = red, melancholic = blue, and phlegmatic = green.

Many centuries later, on the other side of the Atlantic, the Aztecs developed a similar proto-psychological theory based on the four elements:

• Fire (warriors, leaders, explosive, hot-headed)

• Air (easygoing, captivating, determined)

• Earth (stable, secure workers)

• Water (quiet, observant, smart)

Again, this matches the DISA types: fire = red, air = yellow, earth = green, water = blue.

Walter Moulton Marston and the DISA System

Walter Moulton Marston, the man who laid the foundations for the DISA/DISC model, also invented the polygraph and created the character of Wonder Woman. Erickson and most people nowadays use “stability” rather than “submission” and “analytic ability” rather than “compliance,” because these two relationships between a person and their environment seem to better explain behavior types.

• Dominance relates to how a person approaches problems and deals with challenges—it’s all about acting.

• Inspiration is about influencing and convincing others—it’s all about interacting.

• Stability is about receptiveness to change—high stability means resistance to change; low stability means adventurousness.

• Analytic ability is about following rules and regulations—it’s all about organization.

In Erikson’s system:

• Dominant people are red

• Inspiring people are yellow

• Stable people are green

• Analytical people are blue

Distribution of Colors in the Population

In the world, only 5% of people have just one color that dominates their behavior. Over 80% have a mixture of two colors, and 15% are dominated by three colors.

The most common behavior is green together with another color or entirely green. The least common is entirely red or red with one other color. Blues and reds, as well as greens and yellows, are complementary types—these combinations create strong teams and long-lasting relationships. The best combinations are blue/green and red/yellow. Reds and greens, however, often fail to work together. Yellow and blue is the worst combination.

The Four Colors

Red Behavior – The Alpha Type

• Core traits: quick to act, take charge, control freak tendencies.

• Adjectives: aggressive, ambitious, decisive, impatient, powerful, results-oriented.

• Self-perception: driven, competitive, independent.

• Communication: be direct, avoid small talk.

• Annoyances: mundane tasks.

• Famous reds: Steve Jobs, Venus Williams, Barack Obama.

Yellow Behavior – The Creative Socializer

• Core traits: amusing, creative, mood lifter, easily distracted.

• Adjectives: talkative, persuasive, optimistic, spontaneous, charming.

• Self-perception: enthusiastic, inspiring, outgoing.

• Communication: be open and friendly, use humor.

• Annoyances: isolation, negativity.

• Famous yellows: Oprah Winfrey, Robin Williams, Ellen DeGeneres.

Green Behavior – The Loyal Supporter

• Core traits: pleasant, caring, resistant to change, indecisive.

• Adjectives: patient, reliable, modest, understanding, discreet.

• Self-perception: friendly, predictable, stable.

• Communication: one-on-one, avoid public praise or criticism.

• Annoyances: sudden changes, mid-project shifts.

• Famous greens: Gandhi, Michelle Obama, Mr. Rogers.

Blue Behavior – The Perfectionist Analyst

• Core traits: calm, logical, suspicious, rule-following.

• Adjectives: conscientious, systematic, analytical, thorough.

• Self-perception: accurate, detail-oriented, methodical.

• Communication: come prepared with facts.

• Annoyances: tight deadlines, lack of structure.

• Famous blues: Bill Gates, Albert Einstein, Sandra Day O’Connor.

Key Lessons from Surrounded by Idiots

1. People behave the way they do due to a mix of heredity and environment.

2. Humans have always categorized personalities.

3. There are four main behavior types, and most people are a mix of two.